Anti-shake apparatus

ABSTRACT

An anti-shake apparatus for image stabilizing comprises an angular velocity sensor and a controller. The angular velocity sensor detects an angular velocity. The controller controls the angular velocity sensor and performs an anti-shake operation on the basis of an output signal from the angular velocity sensor. The controller performs a reduction of the value of the output signal during a predetermined period of the anti-shake operation, and does not perform the reduction except for during the predetermined period.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an anti-shake apparatus for aphotographing apparatus, and in particular to the reduction of an outputsignal from the angular velocity sensor in a predetermined period of theanti-shake operation.

2. Description of the Related Art

An anti-shake apparatus for a photographing apparatus is proposed. Theanti-shake apparatus corrects for hand-shake effect by moving ahand-shake correcting lens or an imaging device on a plane that isperpendicular to the optical axis, corresponding to the amount ofhand-shake which occurs during the imaging process.

Japanese unexamined patent publication (KOKAI) No. 2003-43544 disclosesan anti-shake apparatus that includes a detection apparatus that detectsoscillation based on the shock caused by the OPEN/CLOSE operation of theshutter and that correctly detects the hand-shake quantity consideringthis shock.

However, in this case it is necessary to include detection apparatuswhich detects the oscillation other than an angular velocity sensor,which causes the construction of the anti-shake apparatus to becomecomplicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide ananti-shake apparatus (an image stabilizing apparatus) that correctlydetects the hand-shake quantity during a predetermined period of theanti-shake operation without complicating the construction of theanti-shake apparatus.

According to the present invention, an anti-shake apparatus for imagestabilizing comprises an angular velocity sensor and a controller. Theangular velocity sensor detects an angular velocity. The controllercontrols the angular velocity sensor and performs an anti-shakeoperation on the basis of an output signal from the angular velocitysensor. The controller performs a reduction of the value of the outputsignal during a predetermined period of the anti-shake operation, anddoes not perform the reduction except for during the predeterminedperiod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and advantages of the present invention will be betterunderstood from the following description, with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective rear view of the first and second embodiments ofthe photographing apparatus viewed from the back side;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the photographing apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a circuit construction diagram of the photographing apparatusin the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that shows the main operation of the photographingapparatus in the first and second embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that shows the detail of the interruption processof the timer in the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a figure that shows calculations in the anti-shake operationin the first and second embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart that shows the detail of the shock gaincalculation in the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a circuit construction diagram of the photographing apparatusin the second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart that shows the detail of the interruption processof the timer in the second embodiment; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart that shows the detail of the DLPF calculation inthe second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is described below with reference to the first andsecond embodiments shown in the drawings. In the first and secondembodiments, the photographing apparatus 1 is a digital single-lensreflex camera. A camera lens 67 of the photographing apparatus 1 has anoptical axis LX.

In order to explain the direction in the first and second embodiments, afirst direction x, a second direction y, and a third direction z aredefined (see FIG. 1). The first direction x is a direction which isperpendicular to the optical axis LX. The second direction y is adirection which is perpendicular to the optical axis LX and the firstdirection x. The third direction z is a direction which is parallel tothe optical axis LX and perpendicular to both the first direction x andthe second direction y.

The first embodiment is explained as follows.

The imaging part of the photographing apparatus 1 comprises a PON button11, a PON switch 11 a, a photometric switch 12 a, a release button 13, arelease switch 13 a, an anti-shake button 14, an anti-shake switch 14 a,an indicating unit 17 such as an LCD monitor etc., amirror-aperture-shutter unit 18, a DSP 19, a CPU 21, an AE (automaticexposure) unit 23, an AF (automatic focus) unit 24, an imaging unit 39 ain the anti-shake unit 30, and a camera lens 67 (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).

Whether the PON switch 11 a is in the ON state or the OFF state, isdetermined by the state of the PON button 11, so that the ON/OFF statesof the photographing apparatus 1 correspond to the ON/OFF states of thePON switch 11 a.

The photographic subject image is captured as an optical image throughthe camera lens 67 by the imaging unit 39 a, and the captured image isdisplayed on the indicating unit 17. The photographic subject image canbe optically observed by the optical finder (not depicted).

When the release button 13 is partially depressed by the operator, thephotometric switch 12 a changes to the ON state so that the photometricoperation, the AF sensing operation, and the focusing operation areperformed.

When the release button 13 is fully depressed by the operator, therelease switch 13 a changes to the ON state so that the imagingoperation by the imaging unit 39 a (the imaging apparatus) is performed,and the image, which is captured, is stored.

In the first embodiment, the anti-shake operation is performed from thepoint when the release switch 13 a is set to the ON state, to the pointwhen the release sequence operation (the photographing operation) isfinished.

The mirror-aperture-shutter unit 18 is connected to port P7 of the CPU21 and performs an UP/DOWN operation of the mirror 18 a (a mirror-upoperation and a mirror-down operation), an OPEN/CLOSE operation of theaperture, and an OPEN/CLOSE operation of a shutter 18 b all of whichcorrespond to the ON state of the release switch 13 a.

While the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a is being performed, orwhile the mirror up switch (not depicted) is set to the ON state so thatthe movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b is performed, afront curtain movement signal (not depicted) is set to the ON state.

The DSP 19 is connected to port P9 of the CPU 21, and it is connected tothe imaging unit 39 a. Based on a command from the CPU 21, the DSP 19performs the calculation operations, such as the image processingoperation etc., on the image signal obtained by the imaging operation ofthe imaging unit 39 a.

The CPU 21 is a control apparatus that controls each part of thephotographing apparatus 1 regarding the imaging operation and theanti-shake operation (i.e. the image stabilizing operation). Theanti-shake operation includes both the movement of the movable unit 30 aand position-detection efforts.

Further, the CPU 21 stores a value of the anti-shake parameter IS thatdetermines whether the photographing apparatus 1 is in anti-shake modeor not, a value of the shock gain parameter GAIN, a value of the firsttime counter MR that is related to the shock of the mirror-up operationof the mirror 18 a, a value of the second time counter ST that isrelated to the shock of the OPEN operation of the shutter 18 b, and avalue of the release state parameter RP.

The value of the release state parameter RP changes with respect to therelease sequence operation. When the release sequence operation isperformed, the value of the release state parameter RP is set to 1 (seesteps S21 to S30 in FIG. 4), and when the release sequence operation isfinished, the value of the release state parameter RP is set (reset) to0 (see steps S13 and S30 in FIG. 4).

The first time counter MR is a time counter of the elapsed time from thepoint when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a commences, whichfunctions by increasing the value of the first time counter MR by 1,with every interruption process that occurs at a predetermined timeinterval of 1 ms, under a predetermined condition (see step S80 in FIG.7).

The second time counter ST is a time counter of the elapsed time fromthe point when the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 bcommences, which functions by increasing the value of the second timecounter ST by 1, with every interruption process that occurs at apredetermined time interval of 1 ms, under a predetermined condition(see step S90 in FIG. 7).

The shock gain parameter GAIN is a value of gain that is used tocalculate the first and second digital angular velocity signals Vx_(n)and Vy_(n) by adjusting the gain corresponding to the shock (impact)caused by the mirror-up operation and the mirror-down operation of themirror 18 a and the OPEN/CLOSE operation of the shutter 18 b, from thefirst and second before-gain digital angular velocity signals BVx_(n)and BVy_(n). In other words, in the adjustment of gain, the values ofthe first and second before-gain digital angular velocity signalsBVx_(n) and BVy_(n) are reduced (shrunk), so that the values of thefirst and second digital angular velocity signals Vx_(n) and Vy_(n) arerespectively reduced values of the first and second before-gain digitalangular velocity signals BVx_(n) and BVy_(n).

In the first embodiment, the first digital angular velocity signalVx_(n) is calculated by performing the adjustment of gain on the firstbefore-gain digital angular velocity signal BVx_(n) that is based on thefirst angular velocity vx.

Similarly, the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) iscalculated by performing the adjustment of gain on the secondbefore-gain processing digital angular velocity signal BVy_(n) that isbased on the second angular velocity vy.

The adjustment of the gain using the shock gain parameter GAIN isperformed when the value of the first time counter MR is less than orequal to a first reference time SMT for the mirror-up operation, or whenthe value of the second time counter ST is less than or equal to asecond reference time SST for the movement of the front curtain of theshutter 18 b.

The value of the shock gain parameter GAIN (value of gain) is setcorresponding to the value of the first time counter MR, the value ofthe second time counter ST, the temperatures of the first and secondangular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b (for the calculation of the shockgain, see step S52 in FIG. 5).

Specifically, when the value of the first time counter MR is less thanor equal to the first reference time SMT and when the temperatures ofthe first and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higherthan a first temperature T1, the value of the shock gain parameter GAINis set to ¼ (see step S76 in FIG. 7).

When the value of the first time counter MR is less than or equal to thefirst reference time SMT and when the temperatures of the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher than a secondtemperature T2 and are lower than or equal to the first temperature T1,the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN is set to ⅛ (see step S78 inFIG. 7).

When the value of the first time counter MR is less than or equal to thefirst reference time SMT and when the temperatures of the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are lower than or equal tothe second temperature T2, the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN isset to 1/16 (see step S79 in FIG. 7).

When the value of the second time counter ST is less than or equal tothe second reference time SST and when the temperatures of the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher than a firsttemperature T1, the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN is set to ¼(see step S86 in FIG. 7).

When the value of the second time counter ST is less than or equal tothe second reference time SST and when the temperatures of the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher than a secondtemperature T2 and are lower than or equal to the first temperature T1,the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN is set to ⅛ (see step S88 inFIG. 7).

When the value of the second time counter ST is less than or equal tothe second reference time SST and when the temperatures of the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are lower than or equal tothe second temperature T2, the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN isset to 1/16 (see step S89 in FIG. 7).

The first reference time SMT is defined as a first time which elapsesfrom the point when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a commencesto when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a is finished (to thepoint when the oscillation caused by the mirror-up operation of themirror 18 a is stabilized).

The second reference time SST is defined as a second time which elapsesfrom the point when the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18b commences to the point when the movement of the front curtain of theshutter 18 b is finished (to the point when the oscillation caused bythe movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b is stabilized).

However, the second reference time SST may be defined as a third timewhich elapses from the point when a predetermined time has elapsed,after movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b commences to thepoint when the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b isfinished.

In the first embodiment, the first temperature T1 is set to 10° C. andthe second temperature T2 is set to 0° C.

The value of the first temperature T1, the value of the secondtemperature T2, the value of the first reference time SMT, and the valueof the second reference time SST are fixed values and are stored in theCPU 21.

The shock caused by the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and themovement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b in the releasesequence operation propagates to the first and second angular velocitysensors 26 a and 26 b. In this case, the first and second angularvelocity sensors 26 a and 26 b detect oscillations (angular velocities)including the oscillation based on the shock of the mirror-up operationand the movement of the front curtain, so that the angular velocitydetection operation of the first and second angular velocity sensors 26a and 26 b cannot be performed correctly.

Further, because the response characteristic of the angular velocitysensor increases as the temperature rises, the quantity of oscillationthat is detected by the angular velocity sensor changes with temperatureso that the angular velocity detection operation of the first and secondangular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b cannot be performed correctly.

However, in the first embodiment, the adjustment of the gain of thedigital angular velocity signal is performed corresponding to thetemperatures of the first and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and26 b, during the mirror-up operation and the movement of the frontcurtain. Therefore, the anti-shake operation can be performed correctly,even if an oscillation that is different from the oscillationcorresponding to the hand-shake is detected by the first and secondangular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b.

The CPU 21 performs the release sequence operation after the releaseswitch 13 a is set to the ON state.

Further, the CPU 21 stores values of a first before-gain digital angularvelocity signal BVx_(n), a second before-gain digital angular velocitysignal BVy_(n), a first initial value of the digital angular velocitysignal IVx, a second initial value of the digital angular velocitysignal IVy, a first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n), a seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n), a first digital angular velocityVVx_(n), a second digital angular velocity VVy_(n), a digitaldisplacement angle Bx_(n), a second digital displacement angle By_(n), acoordinate of position S_(n) in the first direction x: Sx_(n), acoordinate of position S_(n) in the second direction y: Sy_(n), a firstdriving force Dx_(n), a second driving force Dy_(n), a coordinate ofposition P_(n) after A/D conversion in the first direction x: pdx_(n), acoordinate of position P_(n) after A/D conversion in the seconddirection y: pdy_(n), a first subtraction value ex_(n), a secondsubtraction value ey_(n), a first proportional coefficient Kx, a secondproportional coefficient Ky, a sampling cycle θ of the anti-shakeoperation, a first integral coefficient Tix, a second integralcoefficient Tiy, a first differential coefficient Tdx, and a seconddifferential coefficient Tdy.

The AE unit (an exposure calculating unit) 23 performs the photometricoperation and calculates the photometric values, based on the subjectbeing photographed. The AE unit 23 also calculates the aperture valueand the time length of the exposure, with respect to the photometricvalues, both of which are needed for imaging. The AF unit 24 performsthe AF sensing operation and the corresponding focusing operation, bothof which are needed for imaging. In the focusing operation, the cameralens 67 is re-positioned along the optical axis in the LX direction.

The anti-shake part (the anti-shake apparatus) of the photographingapparatus 1 comprises an anti-shake button 14, an anti-shake switch 14a, an indicating unit 17, a CPU 21, an angular velocity detection unit25, a driver circuit 29, an anti-shake unit 30, a hall-elementsignal-processing unit 45 (a magnetic-field change-detecting element),and the camera lens 67.

When the anti-shake button 14 is depressed by the operator, theanti-shake switch 14 a is changed to the ON state so that the anti-shakeoperation, in which the angular velocity detection unit 25 and theanti-shake unit 30 are driven independently of the other operationswhich include the photometric operation etc., is carried out at thepredetermined time interval. When the anti-shake switch 14 a is in theON state, in other words in the anti-shake mode, the anti-shakeparameter IS is set to 1 (IS=1). When the anti-shake switch 14 a is notin the ON state, in other words in the non-anti-shake mode, theanti-shake parameter IS is set to 0 (IS=0). In the first embodiment, thevalue of the predetermined time interval is set to 1 ms.

The various output commands corresponding to the input signals of theseswitches are controlled by the CPU 21.

The information regarding whether the photometric switch 12 a is in theON state or OFF state is input to port P12 of the CPU 21 as a 1-bitdigital signal. The information regarding whether the release switch 13a is in the ON state or OFF state is input to port P13 of the CPU 21 asa 1-bit digital signal. The information regarding whether the anti-shakeswitch 14 a is in the ON state or OFF state is input to port P14 of theCPU 21 as a 1-bit digital signal.

The AE unit 23 is connected to port P4 of the CPU 21 for inputting andoutputting signals. The AF unit 24 is connected to port P5 of the CPU 21for inputting and outputting signals. The indicating unit 17 isconnected to port P6 of the CPU 21 for inputting and outputting signals.

Next, the details of the input and output relationships between the CPU21 and the angular velocity detection unit 25, the driver circuit 29,the anti-shake unit 30, and the hall-element signal-processing unit 45are explained.

The angular velocity detection unit 25 has a first angular velocitysensor 26 a, a second angular velocity sensor 26 b, a first temperaturesensor 26 c, a second temperature sensor 26 d, a first high-pass filtercircuit 27 a, a second high-pass filter circuit 27 b, a first amplifier28 a and a second amplifier 28 b.

The first angular velocity sensor 26 a detects the angular velocity of arotary motion (the yawing) of the photographing apparatus 1 about theaxis of the second direction y (the velocity-component in the firstdirection x of the angular velocity of the photographing apparatus 1).The first angular velocity sensor 26 a is a gyro sensor that detects ayawing angular velocity.

The second angular velocity sensor 26 b detects the angular velocity ofa rotary motion (the pitching) of the photographing apparatus 1 aboutthe axis of the first direction x (detects the velocity-component in thesecond direction y of the angular velocity of the photographingapparatus 1). The second angular velocity sensor 26 b is a gyro sensorthat detects a pitching angular velocity.

The first high-pass filter circuit 27 a reduces a low frequencycomponent of the signal output from the first angular velocity sensor 26a, because the low frequency component of the signal output from thefirst angular velocity sensor 26 a includes signal elements that arebased on a null voltage and a panning-motion, neither of which arerelated to hand-shake.

The second high-pass filter circuit 27 b reduces a low frequencycomponent of the signal output from the second angular velocity sensor26 b, because the low frequency component of the signal output from thesecond angular velocity sensor 26 b includes signal elements that arebased on a null voltage and a panning-motion, neither of which arerelated to hand-shake.

The first amplifier 28 a amplifies a signal regarding the yawing angularvelocity, whose low frequency component has been reduced, and outputsthe analog signal to the A/D converter A/D 0 of the CPU 21 as a firstangular velocity vx.

The second amplifier 28 b amplifies a signal regarding the pitchingangular velocity, whose low frequency component has been reduced, andoutputs the analog signal to the A/D converter A/D 1 of the CPU 21 as asecond angular velocity vy.

The reduction of the low frequency signal component is a two-stepprocess; the primary part of the analog high-pass filter processingoperation is performed first by the first and second high-pass filtercircuits 27 a and 27 b, followed by the secondary part of the digitalhigh-pass filter processing operation that is performed by the CPU 21.

The cut off frequency of the secondary part of the digital high-passfilter processing operation is higher than that of the primary part ofthe analog high-pass filter processing operation.

In the digital high-pass filter processing operation, the value of atime constant (a first high-pass filter time constant hx and a secondhigh-pass filter time constant hy) can be easily changed.

The first temperature sensor 26 c detects the temperature of the firstangular velocity sensor 26 a. The second temperature sensor 26 d detectsthe temperature of the second angular velocity sensor 26 b.

Information regarding temperature of the first angular velocity sensor26 a which is detected by the first temperature sensor 26 c is input tothe A/D converter A/D 4 of the CPU 21. Similarly, information regardingtemperature of the second angular velocity sensor 26 b which is detectedby the second temperature sensor 26 d is input to the A/D converter A/D5 of the CPU 21. However, the angular velocity detection unit 25 mayhave only one temperature sensor that detects the temperature of atleast one of the first and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26b.

Further, regarding the value of the temperature of the first and secondangular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b, the value of the temperature ofthe photographing apparatus 1 may be used because the value of thetemperature of the photographing apparatus 1 is obtained in thephotometric operation of the AE unit 23 or in the AF sensing operationof the AF unit 24. In this case, the first and second temperaturesensors 26 c and 26 d are unnecessary.

The detection of the temperature of the first and second angularvelocity sensors 26 a and 26 b may be performed at every predeterminedtime interval of 1 ms corresponding to the interruption process which isperformed at every predetermined time interval of 1 ms, or may beperformed only one time at the point when the anti-shake operationcommences (when the release sequence operation commences, see step S21in FIG. 4).

The supply of electric power to the CPU 21 and each part of the angularvelocity detection unit 25 begins after the PON switch 11 a is set tothe ON state (the main power supply is set to the ON state). Thecalculation of a hand-shake quantity begins after the PON switch 11 a isset to the ON state.

The CPU 21 converts the first angular velocity vx, which is input to theA/D converter A/D 0, to a first before-gain digital angular velocitysignal BVx_(n) (A/D conversion operation); calculates a first digitalangular velocity signal Vx_(n) (with the adjustment of gaincorresponding to the shock caused by the mirror-up operation of themirror 18 a, the shock caused by the movement of the front curtain ofthe shutter 18 b, and the temperature of the first and second angularvelocity sensors 26 a and 26 b); calculates a first digital angularvelocity VVx_(n) by reducing a low frequency component of the firstdigital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) (the digital high-pass filterprocessing operation) because the low frequency component of the firstdigital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) includes signal elements that arebased on a null voltage and a panning-motion, neither of which arerelated to hand-shake; and calculates a hand shake quantity (a handshake displacement angle: a first digital displacement angle Bx_(n)) byintegrating the first digital angular velocity VVx_(n) (the integrationprocessing operation).

Similarly the CPU 21 converts the second angular velocity vy, which isinput to the A/D converter A/D 1, to a second before-gain digitalangular velocity signal BVy_(n) (A/D conversion operation); calculates asecond digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) (with the adjustment ofgain corresponding to the shock caused by the mirror-up operation of themirror 18 a, the shock caused by the movement of the front curtain ofthe shutter 18 b, and the temperature of the first and second angularvelocity sensors 26 a and 26 b); calculates a second digital angularvelocity VVy_(n) by reducing a low frequency component of the seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) (the digital high-pass filterprocessing operation) because the low frequency component of the seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) includes signal elements that arebased on a null voltage and a panning-motion, neither of which arerelated to hand-shake; and calculates a hand shake quantity (a handshake displacement angle: a second digital displacement angle By_(n)) byintegrating the second digital angular velocity VVy_(n) (the integrationprocessing operation).

Accordingly, the CPU 21 and the angular velocity detection unit 25 use afunction to calculate the hand-shake quantity, as explained above.

The value “n” is an integer that is greater than 1, and indicates alength of time (ms) which elapses from the point when the interruptionprocess of the timer commences, (t=1, and see step S12 in FIG. 4) to thepoint when the latest anti-shake operation is performed (t=n).

The adjustment of the gain in the first direction x, that is acalculation of the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) (see“calculation” of (1) in FIG. 6), is performed with a calculation basedon the first before-gain digital angular velocity signal BVx_(n), thefirst initial value of the digital angular velocity signal IVx, and theshock gain parameter GAIN (Vx_(n)=(BVx_(n)−IVx)×GAIN+IVx, see step S91in FIG. 7).

Similarly, the adjustment of the gain in the second direction y, that isa calculation of the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n), isperformed with a calculation based on the second before-gain digitalangular velocity signal BVy_(n), the second initial value of the digitalangular velocity signal IVy, and the shock gain parameter GAIN(Vy_(n)=(BVy_(n)−IVy)×GAIN+IVy).

The value of the first initial value of the digital angular velocitysignal IVx is set to the value of the first digital angular velocitysignal VX_(n) when the mirror-up operation commences, i.e. MR=0 or whenthe movement of the front curtain commences, i.e. ST=0 (see steps S73and S83 in FIG. 7).

Similarly, the value of the second initial value of the digital angularvelocity signal IVy is set to the value of the second digital angularvelocity signal Vy_(n) when the mirror-up operation commences, i.e. MR=0or when the movement of the front curtain commences, i.e. ST=0.

The adjustment of the gain is not performed except for (at a time otherthan) when the mirror-up operation or the movement of the front curtainis performed.

In the digital high-pass filter processing operation regarding the firstdirection x, the first digital angular velocity VVx_(n) is calculated bydividing the summation of the first digital angular velocity VVx₁ toVVx_(n-1) calculated by the interruption process of the timer before the1 ms predetermined time interval (before the latest anti-shake operationis performed), by the first high-pass filter time constant hx, and thensubtracting the resulting quotient from the first digital angularvelocity signal Vx_(n) (VVx_(n)=Vx_(n)−(ΣVVx_(n-1))÷hx, see (1) in FIG.6).

In the digital high-pass filter processing operation regarding thesecond direction y, the second digital angular velocity VVy_(n) iscalculated by dividing the summation of the second digital angularvelocity VVy₁ to VVy_(n-1) calculated by the interruption process of thetimer before the 1 ms predetermined time interval (before the latestanti-shake operation is performed), by the second high-pass filter timeconstant hy, and then subtracting the resulting quotient from the seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) (VVy_(n)=Vy_(n)−(ΣVVy_(n-1))÷hy).

In the first embodiment, the angular velocity detection operation in(portion of) the interruption process of the timer includes a process inthe angular velocity detection unit 25 and a process of inputtingprocess of the first and second angular velocities vx and vy from theangular velocity detection unit 25 to the CPU 21.

In the integration processing operation regarding the first direction x,the first digital displacement angle Bx_(n) is calculated by thesummation from the first digital angular velocity vvx₁ at the point whenthe interruption process of the timer commences, t=1, (see step S12 inFIG. 4) to the first digital angular velocity VVx_(n) at the point whenthe latest anti-shake operation is performed (t=n), (Bx_(n)=ΣVVx_(n),see (3) in FIG. 6).

Similarly, in the integration processing operation regarding the seconddirection y, the second digital displacement angle By_(n) is calculatedby the summation from the second digital angular velocity VVy_(n) at thepoint when the interruption process of the timer commences to the seconddigital angular velocity VVy_(n) at the point when the latest anti-shakeoperation is performed (By_(n)=ΣVVy_(n)).

The CPU 21 calculates the position S_(n) where the imaging unit 39 a(the movable unit 30 a) should be moved, corresponding to the hand-shakequantity (the first and second digital displacement angles Bx_(n) andBy_(n)) calculated for the first direction x and the second direction y,based on a position conversion coefficient zz (a first positionconversion coefficient zx for the first direction x and a secondposition conversion coefficient zy for the second direction y).

The coordinate of position S_(n) in the first direction x is defined asSx_(n), and the coordinate of position S_(n) in the second direction yis defined as Sy_(n). The movement of the movable unit 30 a, whichincludes the imaging unit 39 a, is performed by using electro-magneticforce and is described later.

The driving force D_(n) drives the driver circuit 29 in order to movethe movable unit 30 a to the position S_(n). The coordinate of thedriving force D_(n) in the first direction x is defined as the firstdriving force Dx_(n) (after D/A conversion: a first PWM duty dx). Thecoordinate of the driving force D_(n) in the second direction y isdefined as the second driving force Dy_(n) (after D/A conversion: asecond PWM duty dy).

In a positioning operation regarding the first direction x, thecoordinate of position S_(n) in the first direction x is defined asSx_(n), and is the product of the latest first digital displacementangle Bx_(n) and the first position conversion coefficient zx(Sx_(n)=zx×Bx_(n), see (3) in FIG. 6).

In a positioning operation regarding the second direction y, thecoordinate of position S_(n), in the second direction y is defined asSy_(n), and is the product of the latest second digital displacementangle By_(n) and the second position conversion coefficient zy(Sy_(n)=zy×By_(n)).

The anti-shake unit 30 is an apparatus that corrects for hand-shakeeffect by moving the imaging unit 39 a to the position S_(n), bycanceling the lag of the photographing subject image on the imagingsurface of the imaging device of the imaging unit 39 a, and bystabilizing the photographing subject image displayed on the imagingsurface of the imaging device, during the exposure time and when theanti-shake operation is performed (IS=1).

The anti-shake unit 30 has a fixed unit 30 b, and a movable unit 30 awhich includes the imaging unit 39 a and can be moved about on the xyplane.

During the exposure time when the anti-shake operation is not performed(IS=0), the movable unit 30 a is fixed to (held at) a predeterminedposition. In the first embodiment, the predetermined position is at thecenter of the range of movement.

The anti-shake unit 30 does not have a fixed-positioning mechanism thatmaintains the movable unit 30 a in a fixed position when the movableunit 30 a is not being driven (drive OFF state).

The driving of the movable unit 30 a of the anti-shake unit 30,including movement to a predetermined fixed (held) position, isperformed by the electro-magnetic force of the coil unit for driving andthe magnetic unit for driving, through the driver circuit 29 which hasthe first PWM duty dx input from the PWM 0 of the CPU 21 and has thesecond PWM duty dy input from the PWM 1 of the CPU 21 (see (5) in FIG.6).

The detected-position P_(n) of the movable unit 30 a, either before orafter the movement effected by the driver circuit 29, is detected by thehall element unit 44 a and the hall-element signal-processing unit 45.

Information regarding the first coordinate of the detected-positionP_(n) in the first direction x, in other words a first detected-positionsignal px, is input to the A/D converter A/D 2 of the CPU 21 (see (2) inFIG. 6). The first detected-position signal px is an analog signal thatis converted to a digital signal by the A/D converter A/D 2 (A/Dconversion operation). The first coordinate of the detected-positionP_(n) in the first direction x, after the A/D conversion operation, isdefined as pdx_(n) and corresponds to the first detected-position signalpx.

Information regarding the second coordinate of the detected-positionP_(n) in the second direction y, in other words a seconddetected-position signal py, is input to the A/D converter A/D 3 of theCPU 21. The second detected-position signal py is an analog signal thatis converted to a digital signal by the A/D converter A/D 3 (A/Dconversion operation). The second coordinate of the detected-positionP_(n) in the second direction y, after the A/D conversion operation, isdefined as pdy_(n) and corresponds to the second detected-positionsignal py.

The PID (Proportional Integral Differential) control calculates thefirst and second driving forces Dx_(n) and Dy_(n) on the basis of thecoordinate data for the detected-position P_(n) (pdx_(n), pdy_(n)) andthe position S_(n) (Sx_(n), Sy_(n)) following movement.

The calculation of the first driving force Dx_(n) is based on the firstsubtraction value ex_(n), the first proportional coefficient Kx, thesampling cycle θ, the first integral coefficient Tix, and the firstdifferential coefficient Tdx(Dx_(n)=Kx×{ex_(n)+θ÷Tix×Σex_(n)+Tdx÷θ×(ex_(n)−ex_(n-1))}, see (4) inFIG. 6). The first subtraction value ex_(n) is calculated by subtractingthe first coordinate of the detected-position P_(n) in the firstdirection x after the A/D conversion operation, pdx_(n), from thecoordinate of position S_(n) in the first direction x, Sx_(n)(ex_(n)=Sx_(n)−pdx_(n)).

The calculation of the second driving force Dy_(n) is based on thesecond subtraction value ey_(n), the second proportional coefficient Ky,the sampling cycle θ, the second integral coefficient Tiy, and thesecond differential coefficient Tdy(Dy_(n)=Ky×{ey_(n)+θ÷Tiy×Σey_(n)+Tdy÷θ÷(ey_(n)−ey_(n-1))}). The secondsubtraction value ey_(n) is calculated by subtracting the secondcoordinate of the detected-position P_(n) in the second direction yafter the A/D conversion operation, pdy_(n), from the coordinate ofposition S_(n) in the second direction y, Sy_(n)(ey_(n)=Sy_(n)−pdy_(n)).

The value of the sampling cycle θ is set to a predetermined timeinterval of 1 ms.

Driving the movable unit 30 a to the position S_(n), (Sx_(n), Sy_(n))corresponding to the anti-shake operation of the PID control, isperformed when the photographing apparatus 1 is in the anti-shake mode(IS=1) where the anti-shake switch 14 a is set to the ON state.

When the anti-shake parameter IS is 0, the PID control that does notcorrespond to the anti-shake operation is performed so that the movableunit 30 a is moved to the center of the range of movement (thepredetermined position).

The movable unit 30 a has a coil unit for driving that is comprised of afirst driving coil 31 a and a second driving coil 32 a, an imaging unit39 a that has the imaging device, and a hall element unit 44 a as amagnetic-field change-detecting element unit. In the first embodiment,the imaging device is a CCD; however, the imaging device may be anotherimaging device such as a CMOS etc.

The fixed unit 30 b has a magnetic unit for driving that is comprised ofa first position-detecting and driving magnet 411 b, a secondposition-detecting and driving magnet 412 b, a first position-detectingand driving yoke 431 b, and a second position-detecting and driving yoke432 b.

The fixed unit 30 b movably supports the movable unit 30 a in the firstdirection x and in the second direction y.

When the center area of the imaging device is intersected by the opticalaxis LX of the camera lens 67, the relationship between the position ofthe movable unit 30 a and the position of the fixed unit 30 b isarranged so that the movable unit 30 a is positioned at the center ofits range of movement in both the first direction x and the seconddirection y, in order to utilize the full size of the imaging range ofthe imaging device.

A rectangle shape, which is the form of the imaging surface of theimaging device, has two diagonal lines. In the first embodiment, thecenter of the imaging device is at the intersection of these twodiagonal lines.

The first driving coil 31 a, the second driving coil 32 a, and the hallelement unit 44 a are attached to the movable unit 30 a.

The first driving coil 31 a forms a seat and a spiral shaped coilpattern. The coil pattern of the first driving coil 31 a has lines whichare parallel to the second direction y, thus creating the firstelectro-magnetic force to move the movable unit 30 a that includes thefirst driving coil 31 a, in the first direction x.

The first electro-magnetic force occurs on the basis of the currentdirection of the first driving coil 31 a and the magnetic-fielddirection of the first position-detecting and driving magnet 411 b.

The second driving coil 32 a forms a seat and a spiral shaped coilpattern. The coil pattern of the second driving coil 32 a has lineswhich are parallel to the first direction x, thus creating the secondelectromagnetic force to move the movable unit 30 a that includes thesecond driving coil 32 a, in the second direction y.

The second electromagnetic force occurs on the basis of the currentdirection of the second driving coil 32 a and the magnetic-fielddirection of the second position-detecting and driving magnet 412 b.

The first and second driving coils 31 a and 32 a are connected to thedriver circuit 29, which drives the first and second driving coils 31 aand 32 a, through the flexible circuit board (not depicted). The firstPWM duty dx is input to the driver circuit 29 from the PWM 0 of the CPU21, and the second PWM duty dy is input to the driver circuit 29 fromthe PWM 1 of the CPU 21. The driver circuit 29 supplies power to thefirst driving coil 31 a that corresponds to the value of the first PWMduty dx, and to the second driving coil 32 a that corresponds to thevalue of the second PWM duty dy, to drive the movable unit 30 a.

The first position-detecting and driving magnet 411 b is attached to themovable unit side of the fixed unit 30 b, where the firstposition-detecting and driving magnet 411 b faces the first driving coil31 a and the horizontal hall element hh10 in the third direction z.

The second position-detecting and driving magnet 412 b is attached tothe movable unit side of the fixed unit 30 b, where the secondposition-detecting and driving magnet 412 b faces the second drivingcoil 32 a and the vertical hall element hv10 in the third direction z.

The first position-detecting and driving magnet 411 b is attached to thefirst position-detecting and driving yoke 431 b, under the conditionwhere the N pole and S pole are arranged in the first direction x. Thefirst position-detecting and driving yoke 431 b is attached to the fixedunit 30 b, on the side of the movable unit 30 a, in the third directionz.

The second position-detecting and driving magnet 412 b is attached tothe second position-detecting and driving yoke 432 b, under thecondition where the N pole and S pole are arranged in the seconddirection y. The second position-detecting and driving yoke 432 b isattached to the fixed unit 30 b, on the side of the movable unit 30 a,in the third direction z.

The first and second position-detecting and driving yokes 431 b, 432 bare made of a soft magnetic material.

The first position-detecting and driving yoke 431 b prevents themagnetic-field of the first position-detecting and driving magnet 411 bfrom dissipating to the surroundings, and raises the magnetic-fluxdensity between the first position-detecting and driving magnet 411 band the first driving coil 31 a, and between the firstposition-detecting and driving magnet 411 b and the horizontal hallelement hh10.

The second position-detecting and driving yoke 432 b prevents themagnetic-field of the second position-detecting and driving magnet 412 bfrom dissipating to the surroundings, and raises the magnetic-fluxdensity between the second position-detecting and driving magnet 412 band the second driving coil 32 a, and between the secondposition-detecting and driving magnet 412 b and the vertical hallelement hv10.

The hall element unit 44 a is a single-axis unit that contains twomagnetoelectric converting elements (magnetic-field change-detectingelements) utilizing the Hall Effect to detect the firstdetected-position signal px and the second detected-position signal pyspecifying the first coordinate in the first direction x and the secondcoordinate in the second direction y, respectively, of the presentposition P_(n) of the movable unit 30 a.

One of the two hall elements is a horizontal hall element hh10 fordetecting the first coordinate of the position P_(n) of the movable unit30 a in the first direction x, and the other is a vertical hall elementhv10 for detecting the second coordinate of the position P_(n) of themovable unit 30 a in the second direction y.

The horizontal hall element hh10 is attached to the movable unit 30 a,where the horizontal hall element hh10 faces the firstposition-detecting and driving magnet 411 b of the fixed unit 30 b inthe third direction z.

The vertical hall element hv10 is attached to the movable unit 30 a,where the vertical hall element hv10 faces the second position-detectingand driving magnet 412 b of the fixed unit 30 b in the third directionz.

When the center of the imaging device intersects the optical axis LX, itis desirable to have the horizontal hall element hh10 positioned on thehall element unit 44 a facing an intermediate area between the N poleand S pole of the first position-detecting and driving magnet 411 b inthe first direction x, as viewed from the third direction z. In thisposition, the horizontal hall element hh10 utilizes the maximum range inwhich an accurate position-detecting operation can be performed based onthe linear output-change (linearity) of the single-axis hall element.

Similarly, when the center of the imaging device intersects the opticalaxis LX, it is desirable to have the vertical hall element hv10positioned on the hall element unit 44 a facing an intermediate areabetween the N pole and S pole of the second position-detecting anddriving magnet 412 b in the second direction y, as viewed from the thirddirection z.

The hall-element signal-processing unit 45 has a first hall-elementsignal-processing circuit 450 and a second hall-elementsignal-processing circuit 460.

The first hall-element signal-processing circuit 450 detects ahorizontal potential-difference x10 between the output terminals of thehorizontal hall element hh10 that is based on an output signal of thehorizontal hall element hh10.

The first hall-element signal-processing circuit 450 outputs the firstdetected-position signal px, which specifies the first coordinate of theposition P_(n) of the movable unit 30 a in the first direction x, to theA/D converter A/D 2 of the CPU 21, on the basis of the horizontalpotential-difference x10.

The second hall-element signal-processing circuit 460 detects a verticalpotential-difference y10 between the output terminals of the verticalhall element hv10 that is based on an output signal of the vertical hallelement hv10.

The second hall-element signal-processing circuit 460 outputs the seconddetected-position signal py, which specifies the second coordinate ofthe position P_(n) of the movable unit 30 a in the second direction y,to the A/D converter A/D 3 of the CPU 21, on the basis of the verticalpotential-difference y10.

Next, the main operation of the photographing apparatus 1 in the firstembodiment is explained by using the flowchart in FIG. 4.

When the photographing apparatus 1 is set to the ON state, theelectrical power is supplied to the angular velocity detection unit 25so that the angular velocity detection unit 25 is set to the ON state instep S11.

In step S12, the interruption process of the timer at the predeterminedtime interval (1 ms) commences. In step S13, the value of the releasestate parameter RP is set to 0. The detail of the interruption processof the timer in the first embodiment is explained later by using theflowchart in FIG. 5.

In step S14, it is determined whether the photometric switch 12 a is setto the ON state. When it is determined that the photometric switch 12 ais not set to the ON state, the operation returns to step S14 and theprocess in step S14 is repeated. Otherwise, the operation continues onto step S15.

In step S15, it is determined whether the anti-shake switch 14 a is setto the ON state. When it is determined that the anti-shake switch 14 ais not set to the ON state, the value of the anti-shake parameter IS isset to 0 in step S16. Otherwise, the value of the anti-shake parameterIS is set to 1 in step S17.

In step S18, the AE sensor of the AE unit 23 is driven, the photometricoperation is performed, and the aperture value and exposure time arecalculated.

In step S19, the AF sensor and the lens control circuit of the AF unit24 are driven to perform the AF sensing and focus operations,respectively.

In step S20, it is determined whether the release switch 13 a is set tothe ON state. When the release switch 13 a is not set to the ON state,the operation returns to step S14 and the process in steps S14 to S19 isrepeated. Otherwise, the operation continues on to step S21 and then therelease sequence operation commences.

In step S21, the value of the release state parameter RP is set to 1.

In step S22, the value of the first time counter MR and the value of thesecond time counter ST are set to 0.

In step S23, the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and the apertureclosing operation corresponding to the aperture value that is eitherpreset or calculated, are performed by the mirror-aperture-shutter unit18.

After the mirror-up operation is finished, the opening operation of theshutter 18 b (the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b)commences in step S24.

In step S25, the exposure operation, or in other words the electriccharge accumulation of the imaging device (CCD etc.), is performed.After the exposure time has elapsed, the closing operation of theshutter 18 b (the movement of the rear curtain in the shutter 18 b), themirror-down operation of the mirror 18 a, and the opening operation ofthe aperture are performed by the mirror-aperture-shutter unit 18, instep S26.

In step S27, the electric charge which has accumulated in the imagingdevice during the exposure time is read. In step S28, the CPU 21communicates with the DSP 19 so that the image processing operation isperformed based on the electric charge read from the imaging device. Theimage, on which the image processing operation is performed, is storedto the memory in the photographing apparatus 1. In step S29, the imagethat is stored in the memory is displayed on the indicating unit 17. Instep S30, the value of the release state parameter RP is set to 0 sothat the release sequence operation is finished, and the operation thenreturns to step S14, in other words the photographing apparatus 1 is setto a state where the next imaging operation can be performed.

Next, the interruption process of the timer in the first embodiment,which commences in step S12 in FIG. 4 and is performed at everypredetermined time interval (1 ms) independent of the other operations,is explained by using the flowchart in FIG. 5.

When the interruption process of the timer commences, the first angularvelocity vx, which is output from the angular velocity detection unit25, is input to the A/D converter A/D 0 of the CPU 21 and converted tothe first before-gain digital angular velocity signal BVx_(n), in stepS51. The second angular velocity vy, which is also output from theangular velocity detection unit 25, is input to the A/D converter A/D 1of the CPU 21 and converted to the second before-gain digital angularvelocity signal BVy_(n) (the angular velocity detection operation).

In step S52, the shock gain calculation is performed. Specifically,gains for the first and second before-gain digital angular velocitysignals BVx_(n) and BVy_(n) are adjusted corresponding to the shockcaused by the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a, the shock causedby the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b, and thetemperatures of the first and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and26 b. Subsequently, the first and second digital angular velocitysignals Vx_(n) and Vy_(n) are calculated. However, except for when themirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a is being performed and when themovement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b is being performed,adjustment of the gain is not performed, and the values of the first andsecond digital angular velocity signals Vx_(n) and Vy_(n) are set to thesame as the values of the first and second before-gain digital angularvelocity signals BVx_(n) and BVy_(n), respectively. The detail of theshock gain calculation in the first embodiment is explained later byusing the flowchart in FIG. 7.

The low frequencies of the first and second digital angular velocitysignals Vx_(n) and Vy_(n) are reduced in the digital high-pass filterprocessing operation (the first and second digital angular velocitiesVVx_(n) and VVy_(n)).

In step S53, it is determined whether the value of the release stateparameter RP is set to 1. When it is determined that the value of therelease state parameter RP is not set to 1, driving the movable unit 30a is set to OFF state, or the anti-shake unit 30 is set to a state wherethe driving control of the movable unit 30 a is not performed in stepS54. Otherwise, the operation proceeds directly to step S55.

In step S55, the hall element unit 44 a detects the position of themovable unit 30 a, and the first and second detected-position signals pxand py are calculated by the hall-element signal-processing unit 45. Thefirst detected-position signal px is then input to the A/D converter A/D2 of the CPU 21 and converted to a digital signal pdx_(n), whereas thesecond detected-position signal py is input to the A/D converter A/D 3of the CPU 21 and also converted to a digital signal pdy_(n), both ofwhich thus determine the present position P_(n) (pdx_(n), pdy_(n)) ofthe movable unit 30 a.

In step S56, it is determined whether the value of the anti-shakeparameter IS is 0. When it is determined that the value of theanti-shake parameter IS is 0 (IS=0), in other words when thephotographing apparatus is not in anti-shake mode, the position S_(n)(Sx_(n), Sy_(n)) where the movable unit 30 a (the imaging unit 39 a)should be moved is set at the center of the range of movement of themovable unit 30 a, in step S57. When it is determined that the value ofthe anti-shake parameter IS is not 0 (IS=1), in other words when thephotographing apparatus is in anti-shake mode, the position S_(n)(Sx_(n), Sy_(n)) where the movable unit 30 a (the imaging unit 39 a)should be moved is calculated on the basis of the first and secondangular velocities vx and vy, in step S58.

In step S59, the first driving force Dx_(n) (the first PWM duty dx) andthe second driving force Dy_(n) (the second PWM duty dy) of the drivingforce D, which moves the movable unit 30 a to the position S_(n), arecalculated on the basis of the position S_(n) (Sx_(n), Sy_(n)) that wasdetermined in step S57, or step S58, and the present position P_(n)(pdx_(n), pdy_(n)).

In step S60, the first driving coil unit 31 a is driven by applying thefirst PWM duty dx to the driver circuit 29, and the second driving coilunit 32 a is driven by applying the second PWM duty dy to the drivercircuit 29, so that the movable unit 30 a is moved to position S_(n)(Sx_(n), Sy_(n)).

The process of steps S59 and S60 is an automatic control calculationthat is used with the PID automatic control for performing general(normal) proportional, integral, and differential calculations.

Next, the detail of the shock gain calculation in step S52 in FIG. 5 isexplained by using the flowchart in FIG. 7. When the shock gaincalculation commences, it is determined whether the mirror up switch(not depicted) for the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a is set tothe ON state, in step S71.

When it is determined that the mirror up switch is set to the ON state,the operation continues to step S72. Otherwise, the operation proceedsdirectly to step S81.

In step S72, it is determined whether the value of the first timecounter MR is set to 0. When it is determined that the value of thefirst time counter MR is set to 0, then in step S73, the value of thefirst initial value of the digital angular velocity signal IVx is set tothe value of the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) and thevalue of the second initial value of the digital angular velocity signalIVy is set to the value of the second digital angular velocity signalVy_(n). Then the operation continues to step S74. Otherwise, theoperation proceeds directly to step S74.

In step S74, it is determined whether the value of the first timecounter MR is less than or equal to the first reference time SMT. Whenit is determined that the value of the first time counter MR is lessthan or equal to the first reference time SMT, the operation continuesto step S75. Otherwise, the operation proceeds directly to step S81.

In step S75, it is determined whether the temperatures of the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher than the firsttemperature T1. When it is determined that the temperatures of the firstand second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher than thefirst temperature T1, the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN is setto ¼ in step S76, and the operation proceeds directly to step S80.

Otherwise, in step S77, it is determined whether the temperatures of thefirst and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher thanthe second temperature T2. When it is determined that the temperaturesof the first and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b arehigher than the second temperature T2, the value of the shock gainparameter GAIN is set to ⅛ in step S78, and the operation proceedsdirectly to step S80.

Otherwise, the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN is set to 1/16 instep S79, and the operation continues to step S80.

In step S80, the value of the first time counter MR is increased by thevalue of 1, and the operation proceeds directly to step S91.

In step S81, it is determined whether the front curtain movement signal(not depicted), which indicates the movement of the front curtain of theshutter 18 b, is set to the ON state.

When it is determined that the front curtain movement signal is set tothe ON state, the operation continues to step S82. Otherwise, theoperation (the shock gain calculation) is finished.

In step S82, it is determined whether the value of the second timecounter ST is set to 0. When it is determined that the value of thesecond time counter ST is set to 0, the value of the first initial valueof the digital angular velocity signal IVx is set to the value of thefirst digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) and the value of the secondinitial value of the digital angular velocity signal IVy is set to thevalue of the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n), in step S83,and the operation continues to step S84. Otherwise, the operationproceeds directly to step S84.

In step S84, it is determined whether the value of the second timecounter ST is less than or equal to the second reference time SST. Whenit is determined that the value of the second time counter ST is lessthan or equal to the second reference time SST, the operation continuesto step S85. Otherwise, the operation (the shock gain calculation) isfinished.

In step S85, it is determined whether the temperatures of the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher than the firsttemperature T1. When it is determined that the temperatures of the firstand second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher than thefirst temperature T1, the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN is setto ¼ in step S86, and the operation proceeds directly to step S90.

Otherwise, in step S87, it is determined whether the temperatures of thefirst and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b are higher thanthe second temperature T2. When it is determined that the temperaturesof the first and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b arehigher than the second temperature T2, the value of the shock gainparameter GAIN is set to ⅛ in step S88, and the operation proceedsdirectly to step S90.

Otherwise, the value of the shock gain parameter GAIN is set to 1/16 instep S89, and the operation continues to step S90.

In step S90, the value of the second time counter ST is increased by avalue of 1, and the operation proceeds directly to step S91.

In step S91, the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) iscalculated on the basis of the first before-gain digital angularvelocity signal BVx_(n), the first initial value of the digital angularvelocity signal IVx, and the shock gain parameter GAIN(Vx_(n)=(BVx_(n)−IVx)×GAIN+IVx).

Similarly, the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) iscalculated on the basis of the second before-gain digital angularvelocity signal BVy_(n), the second initial value of the digital angularvelocity signal IVy, and the shock gain parameter GAIN(Vy_(n)=(BVy_(n)−IVy)×GAIN+IVy). Then the operation (the shock gaincalculation) is finished.

In the first embodiment, when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 ais being performed or when the movement of the front curtain of theshutter 18 b is being performed, the gain of the digital angularvelocity signal is adjusted on the basis of the temperatures of thefirst and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b.

The shock caused by the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and themovement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b in the releasesequence operation propagates to the first and second angular velocitysensors 26 a and 26 b. In this case, the first and second angularvelocity sensors 26 a and 26 b detect oscillation (angular velocities),including an oscillation based on the shock of the mirror-up operationand the movement of the front curtain, so that the angular velocitydetection operation of the first and second angular velocity sensors 26a and 26 b (the detection of the hand-shake quantity) cannot beperformed correctly.

However, in the first embodiment, an adjustment of gain of the digitalangular velocity signal is performed during the mirror-up operation andthe movement of the front curtain. Therefore, the anti-shake operationcan be performed correctly, even if an oscillation differing from theoscillation caused by hand-shake is detected by the first and secondangular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b.

Further, in the first embodiment, the detection of the oscillationcaused by shock differing from the oscillation caused by hand-shake isnot detected by any detection apparatus except for the angular velocitysensor. Therefore, it is unnecessary to include detection apparatusaside from the angular velocity sensor, in order that the anti-shakeoperation can be performed correctly, even if an oscillation differingfrom the oscillation caused by hand-shake is detected by the first andsecond angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b, and to avoid complicatingthe construction of the anti-shake apparatus.

Further, because the response characteristic of the angular velocitysensor increases as the temperature rises, the quantity of oscillationthat is detected by the angular velocity sensor changes with temperatureso that the angular velocity detection operation of the first and secondangular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b (the detection of the hand-shakequantity) cannot be performed correctly.

However, in the first embodiment, an adjustment of gain is performedconsidering the temperature of the angular velocity sensors by using thetemperature sensors. Therefore, the anti-shake operation can beperformed correctly.

Next, the second embodiment is explained. In the first embodiment, inorder to perform the anti-shake operation correctly, an adjustment ofgain of the digital angular velocity signal is performed. In the secondembodiment, in order to perform the anti-shake operation correctly (todetect the hand-shake quantity correctly), a low-pass filter processingoperation is performed on the digital angular velocity signal. Thepoints that differ from the first embodiment are explained as follows.

The first time counter MR is the time counter of an elapsed time fromthe point when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a commences,which functions by increasing the value of the first time counter MR by1, with every interruption process that occurs at a predetermined timeinterval of 1 ms, under a predetermined condition (see step S174 in FIG.10).

The second time counter ST is the time counter of an elapsed time fromthe point when the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 bcommences, which functions increasing the value of the second timecounter ST by 1, with every interruption process that occurs at apredetermined time interval of 1 ms, under a predetermined condition(see step S179 in FIG. 10).

The first reference time SMT is defined as a first time which elapsesfrom the point when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a commencesto the point when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a is finished(to the point when the oscillation caused by the mirror-up operation ofthe mirror 18 a is stabilized).

The second reference time SST is defined as a second time which elapsesfrom the point when the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18b commences to the point when the movement of the front curtain of theshutter 18 b is finished (to the point when the oscillation caused bythe movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b is stabilized).

However, the second reference time SST may also be defined as a thirdtime which elapses from the point when a predetermined time has elapsed,after movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b commences to thepoint when the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b isfinished.

The value of the first reference time SMT, and the value of the secondreference time SST are fixed values and are stored in the CPU 21.

Further, the CPU 21 stores values of a first before-DLPF processingdigital angular velocity signal CVx_(n), a second before-DLPF processingdigital angular velocity signal CVy_(n), a first mirror-shock referencevalue MVx, a second mirror-shock reference value MVy, a firstshutter-shock reference value SVx, a second shutter-shock referencevalue SVy, a first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n), a seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n), a first digital angular velocityVVx_(n), a second digital angular velocity VVy_(n), a digitaldisplacement angle Bx_(n), a second digital displacement angle By_(n), acoordinate of position S_(n) in the first direction x: Sx_(n), acoordinate of position S_(n) in the second direction y: Sy_(n), a firstdriving force Dx_(n), a second driving force Dy_(n), a coordinate ofposition P_(n) after A/D conversion in the first direction x: pdx_(n), acoordinate of position P_(n) after A/D conversion in the seconddirection y: pdy_(n), a first subtraction value ex_(n), a secondsubtraction value ey_(n), a first proportional coefficient Kx, a secondproportional coefficient Ky, a sampling cycle θ of the anti-shakeoperation, a first integral coefficient Tix, a second integralcoefficient Tiy, a first differential coefficient Tdx, and a seconddifferential coefficient Tdy.

In the second embodiment, the first digital angular velocity signalVx_(n) is calculated by performing the digital low-pass filterprocessing operation on the first before-DLPF processing digital angularvelocity signal CVx_(n) that is based on the first angular velocity vx.

Similarly, the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) iscalculated by performing the digital low-pass filter processingoperation on the second before-DLPF processing digital angular velocitysignal CVy_(n) that is based on the second angular velocity vy.

In the digital low-pass filter processing operation, the outputcorresponding to the shock (impact) caused by the mirror-up operationand the mirror-down operation of the mirror 18 a and the OPEN/CLOSEoperation of the shutter 18 b is damped down; i.e. the high frequencycomponent corresponding to the shock in the digital output signal isreduced. In other words, in the digital low-pass filter processingoperation, the values of the first and second before-DLPF processingdigital angular velocity signals CVx_(n) and CVy_(n) are reduced, sothat the values of the first and second digital angular velocity signalsVx_(n) and Vy_(n) are respectively reduced by the high-frequencycomponents from the values of the first and second before-DLPFprocessing digital angular velocity signals CVx_(n) and CVy_(n).

The digital low-pass filter processing operation is performed when thevalue of the first time counter MR is less than or equal to a firstreference time SMT for the mirror-up operation, or when the value of thesecond time counter ST is less than or equal to a second reference timeSST for the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b.

The shock caused by the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and themovement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b in the releasesequence operation propagates to the first and second angular velocitysensors 26 a and 26 b. In this case, the first and second angularvelocity sensors 26 a and 26 b detect oscillation (angular velocities)including the oscillation based on the shock of the mirror-up operationand the movement of the front curtain, so that the angular velocitydetection operation of the first and second angular velocity sensors 26a and 26 b cannot be performed correctly.

However, in the second embodiment, the digital low-pass filterprocessing operation is performed during the mirror-up operation and themovement of the front curtain. Therefore, the anti-shake operation canbe performed correctly, even if an oscillation differing from theoscillation caused by the hand-shake is detected by the first and secondangular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b.

As shown in FIG. 8, the angular velocity detection unit 25 has a firstangular velocity sensor 26 a, a second angular velocity sensor 26 b, afirst high-pass filter circuit 27 a, a second high-pass filter circuit27 b, a first amplifier 28 a and a second amplifier 28 b.

The CPU 21 converts the first angular velocity vx, which is input to theA/D converter A/D 0, to a first before-DLPF processing digital angularvelocity signal CVx_(n) (A/D conversion operation); calculates a firstdigital angular velocity signal VX_(n) (the digital low-pass filterprocessing operation corresponding to the shock caused by the mirror-upoperation of the mirror 18 a and the movement of the front curtain ofthe shutter 18 b); calculates a first digital angular velocity VVx_(n)by reducing a low frequency component of the first digital angularvelocity signal Vx_(n) (the digital high-pass filter processingoperation) because the low frequency component of the first digitalangular velocity signal Vx_(n) includes signal elements that are basedon a null voltage and a panning-motion, neither of which are related tohand-shake; and calculates a hand shake quantity (a hand shakedisplacement angle: a first digital displacement angle Bx_(n)) byintegrating the first digital angular velocity VVx_(n) (the integrationprocessing operation).

Similarly the CPU 21 converts the second angular velocity vy, which isinput to the A/D converter A/D 1, to a second before-DLPF processingdigital angular velocity signal CVy_(n) (A/D conversion operation);calculates a second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) (the digitallow-pass filter processing operation corresponding to the shock causedby the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and the movement of thefront curtain of the shutter 18 b); calculates a second digital angularvelocity VVYn by reducing a low frequency component of the seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) (the digital high-pass filterprocessing operation) because the low frequency component of the seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) includes signal elements that arebased on a null voltage and a panning-motion, neither of which arerelated to hand-shake; and calculates a hand shake quantity (a handshake displacement angle: a second digital displacement angle By_(n)) byintegrating the second digital angular velocity VVy_(n) (the integrationprocessing operation).

Accordingly, the CPU 21 and the angular velocity detection unit 25 use afunction to calculate the hand-shake quantity.

The digital low-pass filter processing operation corresponding to theshock caused by the mirror-up operation in the first direction x, thatis a calculation of the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n)(see “calculation” of (1) in FIG. 6), is performed with a calculationbased on the first before-DLPF processing digital angular velocitysignal CVx_(n) and the first mirror-shock reference value MVx(Vx_(n)=(CVx_(n)+MVx)÷2, see step S173 in FIG. 10).

Similarly, the digital low-pass filter processing operationcorresponding to the shock caused by the mirror-up operation in thesecond direction y, that is a calculation for the second digital angularvelocity signal Vy_(n), is performed with a calculation based on thesecond before-DLPF processing digital angular velocity signal CVy_(n)and the second mirror-shock reference value MVy(Vy_(n)=(CVy_(n)+MVy)÷2).

The value of the first mirror-shock reference value MVx is set to thevalue of the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) that iscalculated immediately before the interruption process of the timer (apredetermined time of 1 ms before; see steps S173 and S175 in FIG. 10).

Similarly, the value of the second mirror-shock reference value MVy isset to the value of the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n)that is calculated immediately before the interruption process of thetimer (a predetermined time of 1 ms before).

The digital low-pass filter processing operation corresponding to theshock caused by the movement of the front curtain in the first directionx, that is a calculation for the first digital angular velocity signalVx_(n) (see “calculation” of (1) in FIG. 6), is performed with acalculation based on the first before-DLPF processing digital angularvelocity signal CVx_(n) and the first shutter-shock reference value SVx(Vx_(n)=(CVx_(n)+SVx)÷2, see step S178 in FIG. 10).

Similarly, the digital low-pass filter processing operationcorresponding to the shock caused by the movement of the front curtainin the second direction y, that is a calculation for the second digitalangular velocity signal Vy_(n), is performed with a calculation based onthe second before-DLPF processing digital angular velocity signalCVy_(n) and the second shutter-shock reference value SVy(Vy_(n)=(CVy_(n)+SVy)÷2).

The value of the first shutter-shock reference value SVx is set to thevalue of the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) that iscalculated immediately before the interruption process of the timer (apredetermined time of 1 ms before; see steps S178 and S180 in FIG. 10).

Similarly, the value of the second shutter-shock reference value SVy isset to the value of the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n)that is calculated immediately before the interruption process of thetimer (a predetermined time of 1 ms before).

The digital low-pass filter processing operation is not performed exceptfor when the mirror-up operation or the movement of the front curtain isperformed.

The main operation of the photographing apparatus 1 in the secondembodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment in FIG. 4.

Next, the interruption process of the timer in the second embodiment,which commences in step S12 in FIG. 4 and is performed at everypredetermined time interval (1 ms) independent of the other operations,is explained by using the flowchart in FIG. 9.

When the interruption process of the timer commences, the first angularvelocity vx, which is output from the angular velocity detection unit25, is input to the A/D converter A/D 0 of the CPU 21 and converted tothe first before-DLPF processing digital angular velocity signalCVx_(n), in step S151. The second angular velocity vy, which is alsooutput from the angular velocity detection unit 25, is input to the A/Dconverter A/D 1 of the CPU 21 and converted to the second before-DLPFprocessing digital angular velocity signal CVy_(n) (the angular velocitydetection operation).

In step S152, the DLPF (Digital Low-Pass Filter) calculation isperformed; specifically the high frequency component of the first andsecond before-DLPF processing digital angular velocity signals CVx_(n)and CVy_(n) are reduced corresponding to the shock caused by themirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and the movement of the frontcurtain of the shutter 18 b, and the first and second digital angularvelocity signals Vx_(n) and Vy_(n) are subsequently calculated. However,except for when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a is beingperformed and when the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 bis being performed, the DLPF calculation is not performed, so that thevalues of the first and second digital angular velocity signals Vx_(n)and Vy_(n) are respectively set to the same as the values of the firstand second before-DLPF processing digital angular velocity signalsCVx_(n) and CVy_(n). The detail of the DLPF calculation in the secondembodiment is explained later by using the flowchart in FIG. 10.

The low frequencies of the first and second digital angular velocitysignals Vx_(n) and Vy_(n) are reduced in the digital high-pass filterprocessing operation (the first and second digital angular velocitiesVVx_(n) and VVy_(n)).

In step S153, it is determined whether the value of the release stateparameter RP is set to 1. When it is determined that the value of therelease state parameter RP is not set to 1, driving the movable unit 30a is set to OFF state, or the anti-shake unit 30 is set to a state wherethe driving control of the movable unit 30 a is not performed in stepS154. Otherwise, the operation proceeds directly to step S155.

In step S155, the hall element unit 44 a detects the position of themovable unit 30 a, and the first and second detected-position signals pxand py are calculated by the hall-element signal-processing unit 45. Thefirst detected-position signal px is then input to the A/D converter A/D2 of the CPU 21 and converted to a digital signal pdx_(n), whereas thesecond detected-position signal py is input to the A/D converter A/D 3of the CPU 21 and also converted to a digital signal pdy_(n), both ofwhich thus determine the present position P_(n) (pdx_(n), pdy_(n)) ofthe movable unit 30 a.

In step S156, it is determined whether the value of the anti-shakeparameter IS is 0. When it is determined that the value of theanti-shake parameter IS is 0 (IS=0), in other words when thephotographing apparatus is not in anti-shake mode, the position S_(n)(Sx_(n), Sy_(n)) where the movable unit 30 a (the imaging unit 39 a)should be moved is set at the center of the range of movement of themovable unit 30 a, in step S157. When it is determined that the value ofthe anti-shake parameter IS is not 0 (IS=1), in other words when thephotographing apparatus is in anti-shake mode, the position S_(n)(Sx_(n), Sy_(n)) where the movable unit 30 a (the imaging unit 39 a)should be moved is calculated on the basis of the first and secondangular velocities vx and vy, in step S158.

In step S159, the first driving force Dx_(n) (the first PWM duty dx) andthe second driving force Dy_(n) (the second PWM duty dy) of the drivingforce D_(n), which moves the movable unit 30 a to the position S_(n),are calculated on the basis of the position S_(n) (Sx_(n), Sy_(n)) thatwas determined in step S57, or step S158, and the present position P_(n)(pdx_(n), pdy_(n)).

In step S160, the first driving coil unit 31 a is driven by applying thefirst PWM duty dx to the driver circuit 29, and the second driving coilunit 32 a is driven by applying the second PWM duty dy to the drivercircuit 29, so that the movable unit 30 a is moved to position S_(n)(Sx_(n), Sy_(n)).

The process of steps S159 and S160 is an automatic control calculationthat is used with the PID automatic control for performing general(normal) proportional, integral, and differential calculations.

Next, the detail of the DLPF calculation (the digital low-pass filterprocessing operation) in step S152 in FIG. 9 is explained using theflowchart in FIG. 10. When the DLPF calculation commences, it isdetermined whether the mirror up switch (not depicted) for the mirror-upoperation of the mirror 18 a is set to the ON state, in step S171.

When it is determined that the mirror up switch is set to the ON state,the operation continues to step S172. Otherwise, the operation proceedsdirectly to step S175.

In step S172, it is determined whether the value of the first timecounter MR is less than or equal to the first reference time SMT. Whenit is determined that the value of the first time counter MR is lessthan or equal to the first reference time SMT, the operation continuesto step S173. Otherwise, the operation proceeds directly to step S175.

In step S173, the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) iscalculated on the basis of the first before-DLPF processing digitalangular velocity signal CVx_(n) and the first mirror-shock referencevalue MVx (Vx_(n)=(CVx_(n)+MVx)÷2); subsequently the value of the firstmirror-shock reference value MVx is set to the value of the firstdigital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) that is calculated in this stepS173.

Similarly, the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) iscalculated on the basis of the second before-DLPF processing digitalangular velocity signal CVy_(n) and the second mirror-shock referencevalue MVy (Vy_(n)=(CVy_(n)+MVy)÷2); subsequently the value of the secondmirror-shock reference value MVy is set to the value of the seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) that is calculated in this stepS173.

In step S174, the value of the first time counter MR is increased by avalue of 1, then the operation proceeds directly to step S176.

In step S175, it is determined that the mirror-up operation is not beingperformed, then the value of the first mirror-shock reference value MVxis set to the value of the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n)and the second mirror-shock reference value MVy is set to the value ofthe second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n).

In step S176, it is determined whether the front curtain movement signal(not depicted) for the movement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 bis set to the ON state.

When it is determined that the front curtain movement signal is set tothe ON state, the operation continues to step S177. Otherwise, theoperation proceeds directly to step S180.

In step S177, it is determined whether the value of the second timecounter ST is less than or equal to the second reference time SST. Whenit is determined that the value of the second time counter ST is lessthan or equal to the second reference time SST, the operation continuesto step S178. Otherwise, the operation proceeds directly to step S180.

In step S178, the first digital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) iscalculated on the basis of the first before-DLPF processing digitalangular velocity signal CVx_(n) and the first shutter-shock referencevalue SVx (Vx_(n)=(CVx_(n)+SVx)÷2); subsequently the value of the firstshutter-shock reference value SVx is set to the value of the firstdigital angular velocity signal Vx_(n) that is calculated in this stepS178.

Similarly, the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) iscalculated on the basis of the second before-DLPF processing digitalangular velocity signal CVy_(n) and the second shutter-shock referencevalue SVy (Vy_(n)=(CVy_(n)+SVy)÷2); subsequently the value of the secondshutter-shock reference value SVy is set to the value of the seconddigital angular velocity signal Vy_(n) that is calculated in this stepS178.

In step S179, the value of the second time counter ST is increased by avalue of 1, and the operation (the DLPF calculation) is finished.

In step S180, it is determined that the movement of the front curtain isnot being performed, then the value of the first shutter-shock referencevalue SVx is set to the value of the first digital angular velocitysignal Vx_(n) and the second shutter-shock reference value SVy is set tothe value of the second digital angular velocity signal Vy_(n). Then theoperation (the DLPF calculation) is finished.

In the second embodiment, when the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18a is being performed or when the movement of the front curtain of theshutter 18 b is being performed, the digital low-pass filter processingoperation of the digital angular velocity signal is also performed.

The shock caused by the mirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and themovement of the front curtain of the shutter 18 b in the releasesequence operation propagates to the first and second angular velocitysensors 26 a and 26 b. In this case, the first and second angularvelocity sensors 26 a and 26 b detect oscillation (angular velocities)including an oscillation based on the shock of the mirror-up operationand the movement of the front curtain, so that the angular velocitydetection operation of the first and second angular velocity sensors 26a and 26 b (the detection of the hand-shake quantity) cannot beperformed correctly.

However, in the second embodiment, the digital low-pass filterprocessing operation on the digital angular velocity signal in order todamp down the output corresponding to the shock (by reducing the highfrequency component corresponding to the shock, in the digital outputsignal) is performed during the mirror-up operation and the movement ofthe front curtain. Therefore, the anti-shake operation can be performedcorrectly, even if an oscillation differing from the oscillation causedby the hand-shake is detected by the first and second angular velocitysensors 26 a and 26 b.

Further, in the second embodiment, the detection of an oscillationcaused by the shock differing from the oscillation caused by thehand-shake is not detected by any detection apparatus except for theangular velocity sensor. Therefore, it is unnecessary to include adetection apparatus aside from the angular velocity sensor, in orderthat the anti-shake operation can be performed correctly, even if anoscillation differing from the oscillation caused by hand-shake isdetected by the first and second angular velocity sensors 26 a and 26 b,and to avoid complicating the construction of the anti-shake apparatus.

In the second embodiment, the digital low-pass filter processingoperation is explained as the low-pass filter processing operation forthe output signal from the angular velocity sensor. However, an analoglow-pass filter, and a switch that switches whether the analog low-passfilter processing operation is performed or not, may be used in thelow-pass filter processing operation on the output signal from theangular velocity sensor. In this case, the low-pass filter processingoperation is performed before A/D conversion at A/D 0 and A/D 1 of theCPU 21.

In the first and second embodiments, it is explained that the CPU 21reduces the output signal from the angular velocity sensor during themirror-up operation of the mirror 18 a and the movement of the frontcurtain of the shutter 18 b, in order to reduce the effect of a shockdiffering from the shock from hand-shake. However, this reduction of theoutput signal from the angular velocity sensor may be performed inanother period that includes another large shock differing from theshock from hand-shake.

Further, it is explained that the movable unit 30 a has the imagingdevice; however, the movable unit 30 a may have a hand-shake correctinglens instead of the imaging device.

Further, it is explained that the hall element is used for positiondetection as the magnetic-field change-detecting element. However,another detection element, an MI (Magnetic Impedance) sensor such as ahigh-frequency carrier-type magnetic-field sensor, a magneticresonance-type magnetic-field detecting element, or an MR(Magneto-Resistance effect) element may be used for position detectionpurposes. When one of either the MI sensor, the magnetic resonance-typemagnetic-field detecting element, or the MR element is used, theinformation regarding the position of the movable unit can be obtainedby detecting the magnetic-field change, similar to using the hallelement.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been describedherein with reference to the accompanying drawings, obviously manymodifications and changes may be made by those skilled in this artwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in JapanesePatent Application Nos. 2006-192357 (filed on Jul. 13, 2006) and2006-192640 (filed on Jul. 13, 2006), which are expressly incorporatedherein by reference, in their entirety.

1. An anti-shake apparatus for image stabilizing, comprising: an angular velocity sensor that detects an angular velocity; and a controller that controls said angular velocity sensor and performs an anti-shake operation on the basis of an output signal from said angular velocity sensor; said controller performing a reduction of the value of said output signal during a predetermined period of said anti-shake operation.
 2. The anti-shake apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined period is a time period when a mirror-up operation of a mirror of a photographing apparatus that includes said anti-shake apparatus is being performed.
 3. The anti-shake apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined period is a time period when a movement of a front curtain of a shutter of a photographing apparatus that includes said anti-shake apparatus is being performed.
 4. The anti-shake apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller adjusts a gain of said output signal to perform said reduction.
 5. The anti-shake apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a value of said gain is set corresponding to temperature of said angular velocity sensor.
 6. The anti-shake apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller performs a low-pass filter processing operation of said output signal to perform said reduction.
 7. The anti-shake apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller does not perform said reduction except for during said predetermined period.
 8. A photographing apparatus comprising: an angular velocity sensor that detects an angular velocity; and a controller that controls said angular velocity sensor and performs an anti-shake operation for image stabilizing on the basis of an output signal from said angular velocity sensor; said controller performing a reduction of the value of said output signal during a predetermined period of said anti-shake operation of a photographing operation. 